In a shocking revelation during the Quad Committee Hearing on August 28, 2024, Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido unleashed a bombshell, branding the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the “biggest crime group in this country.”

Senator Bato Dela Rosa, brazenly seeking to fortify his connection with former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD), solicited Espenido’s assistance in executing a dark, unrelenting campaign against drugs—tasking him with leading lethal units in Albuera, Leyte, and Ozamiz, Occidental Mindoro.

Espenido’s chilling testimony detailed how he was ordered by Bato to eliminate numerous individuals tied to drug operations “by all means,” resulting in a chilling atmosphere where morality was discarded and ruthless execution became a norm.

Even as he grappled with the violation of God’s Ten Commandments, the lowly junior officer felt the iron grip of Bato’s commands crush any semblance of dissent, labeling him as “brave” just to justify the blood on his hands.

Assigned in Albuera, Leyte, Espenido was instructed by Bato to dismantle the infamous drug empire of Kerwin Espinosa. In an astonishing twist of fate, Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Kerwin’s father, turned himself in, supplying damning documents that implicated corrupt police and officials; a scandal so outrageous it threatened to expose the very fabric of Philippine law enforcement.

Instead of seizing the opportunity to clean house, Bato, blinded by his allegiance to Duterte and the Espinosa clan, transferred the investigation to the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), ensuring Kerwin’s eerie acquittal and release.

Looking to silence the threat of exposure, To protect the Espinosas, Bato ruthlessly sent Espenido to Ozamiz, Occidental Mindoro to be killed under the guise of dismantling the drug operations in Ozamiz.

Fueled by his desire to rid Ozamiz of the evilness of illegal drugs, Espenido discovered that Ozamiz City Mayor Parojinog was conducting drug busts that only aimed to arrest groups that sourced their products from Marawi and only buyers (not the sellers) of illegal drugs.

Shocked to the bottom of his core, Espenido learned that the supply of illegal drugs came from the Parojinog family themselves. With the influence of Bato, the CIDG conducted a search and warrant of the Parojinog house and farm, which led to the gruesome killing of Mayor Parojinog and his wife. As a sign that the operation was with FPRRD’s blessing, FPPRD graciously awarded Espenido and his group a plaque of recognition.

Behind the curtains of the so-called “war against drugs,” Espenido’s testimony unfolded a web of greed and deception that implicated FPRRD in orchestrating a heinous operation to eliminate rival drug traders and monopolize the illegal drug market. Reports emerged exposing a dark conspiracy where FPRRD, intoxicated with power, obliterated competition in a shocking race for control over the drug supply.

FPRRD greatly benefitted from Bato’s stint as PNP Chief, but he actually profited immensely when he engineered the appointment of Bong Go and Bato in the Senate.

Espenido boldly revealed that intelligence funds and POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations) money were conveniently siphoned into the drug war, empowering Bong Go to manipulate funding while Bato orchestrated a façade where police officers acted as protectors of drug lords, pocketing cash in the shadows.

To please their puppet master, these two henchmen ensured that fake drug busts flourished, perpetuating a cycle of deceit that kept the drug trade alive and thriving during the Duterte presidency.

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